Amarillo employment grew at about the national rate, but expanding jobs by 1.9 percent allowed the city’s unemployment rate to sit at 4.8 percent, far below the national average of 8.2 percent, according to the May commission report, the latest available.

Texas’ unemployment rate was 6.9 percent, and comparing numbers within the state shows Amarillo had the third-lowest rate behind Midland and Odessa at 3.8 and 4.3 percent, respectively. Lubbock came in at 5.3 percent. The highest unemployment rate in the state was 10.4 percent, in the Mexican border area of Brownsville/Harlingen.

The May report by the commission shows the Amarillo Metropolitan Statistical area — which includes Potter, Randall, Armstrong and Carson counties — added about 2,400 jobs from May 2011 to May. That brought the civilian workforce to 136,800, with 130,300 employed.

According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report, Amarillo’s leading employment sectors are trade, transportation and utilities, government and education and health services.

June was the third straight month of weak hiring, and shows the national economy is still struggling three years after the recession ended.

The economy added an average of 75,000 jobs a month in the April-June quarter. That’s one-third of the 226,000 a month created in the first quarter. Through the first six months of the year, job creation is also trailing last year’s pace.

Construction has been hit particularly hard nationally with workers leaving the industry.

According to the Associated General Contractors of America’s analysis of the federal data, the lack of current job openings, along with the departure of experienced workers, suggests a potential skilled-labor shortage might be developing.

“Employment in the construction industry has fluctuated within a very narrow range — 1 percent above or below the June level of 5.5 million — for more than two years now,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist.